Air Force Jr. ROTC program receives Distinguished Unit Award

The following cadets were participating in a ceremony by Lee Johnson of change of command to the new group staff. Cadets include: David Tatum, Shareef Jones, Lake Greene, Steven Collins and Winston Greene.

CALN – The Air Force Jr. ROTC program at Coatesville Senior Area High school recently received the Distinguished Unit Award from headquarters, for the ninth consecutive year.

The Distinguished Unit Award is an award presented to the Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps headquarters to an Air Force Junior ROTC unit for outstanding work during the school year, officials of ROTC said.

“I am very proud of the award of the Distinguished Unit Award,” said Lee Johnson, Lt Col, USAF Retired. He is one of the ROTC program instructors.

The award was presented during Field Day on May 7. Robert Fisher, the high school principal presented the award on behalf of the headquarters. Field day is a culmination of the training provided to the cadets. It’s a combination of drill competition, inspection, a senior student recognition, and an awards assembly.

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“The award recognizes Air Force Junior ROTC units that have performed above and beyond normal expectations, and have distinguished themselves through outstanding services to their school and community while meeting the Air Force Junior ROTC mission of producing better citizens for America,” Johnson said in an explanation of the award.

The certificate from headquarters presented to the unit is dated April 30. The headquarters are located on Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.

The high school program has won the Distinguished Award for the last 9 years, Johnson said.

“The unit was created to recognize the personal growth and accomplishments of the cadets, contributions of the instructors as mentors of the cadets, and the support of the school and local community. The awards are limited to only the best of the 882 Air Force Junior ROTC units,” Johnson said about the awards presented by headquarters.

Previously headquarters presented the Coatesville high school cadets with the Honor Unit and Meritorious Unit awards. The Coatesville ROTC program has been presented with various awards since 1984, officials said.

In two previous years, the high school cadets were awarded the “Distinguished Unit Award with Merit.” This is a top award that is only given after an inspection by the Headquarters Inspector General. Roughly 20 units nationwide are presented with this award.

Johnson said with low enrollment and the current cadets fundraising to provide funds for the program next year, they won the award “under very strained conditions.” To which he added, “I am extremely proud of all of these folks.”

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